Deus Misereatur

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss My rating: 3 of 5 stars The book was readable....and long....and ended too late. The play back and forth between early Kvothe (the main character) and the older, more seasoned Kvothe was good. But for some reason the length of the story, and the story line, brought me to ask several times, "When will the author get to the point?" The point never appeared to be reached in this volume, and when I came to the end of the book I felt disappointed. This book was written so you would buy the next one (and I assume the one after that) to finally get to the point. I gave it 3 stars, even with my disappointment, because the author is a good writer, and obviously knows how to tell stories that keep attention. This one didn't rouse my excitement, and wasn't a page-turner. It started out slow, and sluggishly built up momentum until it trotted and galloped in places. Maybe it's me. I gave it to my 15 and 18 year old sons, and the...

ConCom: Conflict Communication A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication by Rory Miller My rating: 5 of 5 stars Louis L’Amour’s fictional character, Chick Bowdrie, walked a thin line. He could have easily fallen in with the outlaws, and nearly did so, but was grabbed in the nick of time by the Texas Rangers. And so throughout the short stories and novels, Bowdrie’s ability to think within the mind of the bad guys made him a brilliantly competent and successful Texas Ranger. This capacity to think from within the predator’s mind runs throughout Rory Miller’s works, which is what makes them highly beneficial. Miller, a veteran Law Enforcement Officer and corrections sergeant, has pulled together another fine resource in his 168 page paperback, “Conflict Communication: A New Paradigm in Conscious Communication.” This is a book about communicating in tense and tight situations, whether at work, in in the home, at the pub, or on the street. It is written for Law Enforcement Officers, emp...

Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion by Os Guinness My rating: 5 of 5 stars Slick spin and polished patois throb and thud their way through every aspect of American society. Whether it’s left or right, liberal or conservative, revisionist or traditionalist, each group has its own particular guild-talk and encoded lingo that fulfills and fortifies their respective self-perceptions. On top of this, much of our communication has become self-serving and self-absorbed, as we post and present and publish our blogs, statuses, thoughts and tweets. As all of this self-important and self-fulfilling hype clouds our associations, “social” media and society what, then, happens to the Gospel? Increasingly it falls into the trap of just being another slice of profile-raising that craves all the “Likes” it can garner. In “Fool's Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion” Os Guinness, author, editor, and founder and past senior fellow of the Trinity Forum, has comp...

The Message of Lamentations The Bible Speaks Today series Christopher J. H. Wright IVP Academic www.ivpress.com ISBN: 978-0-8308-2441-0; June 2015; $12.80 Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber 5 out of 5 stars Serious and Simple It’s an odd assertion, but it clearly appears to me that lament and grief have been escorted out of the Church Sanctuary, and in many cases, forced to the leave the premises altogether.  Their absence brings many American churches to look plastic, and leaves an emotional hole in the soul of a congregation. If everything must be upbeat in a church, then after a while, only the enthused, and those who can fake enthusiasm, feel they have a place. All others are forced to weep and sorrow in the silence of their empty homes, or in the vacant quietness of their hurting hearts. Yet lamenting is a full partner in the Christian life. This is evidenced by the vocalized grief that courses through the Psalms, the Prophets and all the way to...

Sunday Morning: O God, Most High, who made all things very good by the Word of your power, and are a God of order and not confusion: we beseech you to shape the events, strategies, deliberations and relations in our land, that we may be a nation and a people who enjoy godly order and godly living; a nation and a people who honor blameless virtue and protect the aged, the unborn, the children, and the defenseless; a nation and a people who respect and promote honest work, ingenuity, quality education, and thrift; and a nation and a people who truly are a land of the free and home of the brave. We call upon you to support our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, law enforcers, firefighters and first responders, that they may be courageous in the face of duty, industrious in the face of drudgery, successful in their tasks, and led by upright, honest leaders.  Guide the nations of this world in just and equitable ways that their peoples may enjoy good and peaceful security...

(A version of these thoughts were published in 2015. This newer, reworked version was sent out in a congregational letter on 25 March 2021) Why is it that when God’s people are at their best, we are often un-trendy? What is it that sets our feet solidly on the ground while society swirls around with various forms of emotional and moral vertigo? Peter gives us clear clues in 1 Peter 1:1-5:   Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in h...

Fight for Power by Eric Walters My rating: 4 of 5 stars Society continues to disintegrate in "Fight for Power," the second volume of the "Rule of Three" series by Eric Walters. The story line follows Adam, his mother, Herb and the neighborhood into darker waters, deeper drama and a sinister spin at the end. It is an easy read written for teens that picks up where the last volume left off, and leaves the reader looking forward to the final installment. There are ethical twists, hard decisions and compassionate actions pulsing through "Fight for Power" that will bring the reader to ask themselves, "What would I do in this situation?" Again, as Walters follows the theme from the previous book, it is a "life-boat" scenario, pushing for serious decision-making. The question that crops up in subtle, and at times obvious, ways is, "What makes us moral human beings in inhuman and immoral settings?" One gets the impression that t...